Acupuncture Can Help Relieve Pelvic Girdle Pain In Pregnant Women

May 12, 2007 11:36 a.m. EST

Nidhi Sharma - AHN Staff Writer

Washington D.C. (AHN) - Acupuncture is effective at relieving back and pelvic muscle pain during pregnancy, a common complaint among pregnant women as they enter into the final trimesters. A study has found that one in three pregnant women suffer severe back and pelvic pain as the pregnancy progresses.

This is because the center of gravity of a pregnant woman is off and she has to arch her back to balance her bulging tummy, leading to an extra strain on back and pelvic muscles.

Experts believe that stretching exercises, coupled with special pillows and acupuncture could help relieve back and pelvic pain that often occur during pregnancy.

The study tracked almost 1,500 pregnant women from Sweden, Iran, Brazil, Thailand and Australia and found that those who participated in the suggested exercises involving acupuncture reported a reduction in pain levels.

The review appears in the current issue of The Cochrane Library, a publication of The Cochrane Collaboration, an international organization that evaluates research in all aspects of health care.

Authors also found that expectant mothers benefited by the use of an Ozzlo pillow - a curved pillow designed to support the pregnant abdomen when lying down and that 60 percent of women trying acupuncture reported a substantial pain relief.

The study found no complications associated with the use of acupuncture in pregnant women. It was also found that women who followed the pelvic or back pain exercises experienced some pain relief and reported less need for pain medication, physical therapy and posture-support belts.

Acupuncture is a technique of inserting and manipulating needles into “acupuncture points” on the body to restore health and well-being, and is particularly good at treating pain. The definition and characterization of these points is standardized by the World Health Organization.

Acupuncture is thought to have originated in China and is most commonly associated with Traditional Chinese medicine. Different types of acupuncture (Japanese, Korean and classical Chinese acupuncture) are practiced and taught throughout the world.

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Jeanie Marie Kraft, L.Ac. MyAcuDoc.com